Madness
by Breyvan
Summary: It was Madness and the crowd cheered for it. Soifon and Yoruichi have been trapped in a makeshift battle arena and forced to fight - Contains violence.
1. Chapter 1

In this story, Yoruichi and Soifon are human as in no special powers - just needed this clear in case you wonder why they dont just use kido or something lol.

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><p><strong>Madness<strong>

It was madness.

And the crowd cheered.

Soifon stared in horror at the sight, unable to utter a sound, unable to understand it.

It was pure insanity in its rawest form and they cheered it on, shouting out for more while she silently screamed for it to end.

Her vision returned to the lone figure at the heart of the madness and all she could was watch as the person moved slowly out of their crouched position over their latest kill.

Soifon cringed for this person when she saw them stumble forward to the ground from putting too much weight on her injured leg. Soi wanted to do something, to say something, to help her in any way possible only to have the chains rattle when she tried to move towards her, a reminder that she was locked in place, unable to do a thing but watch helplessly from the sidelines.

The sound of the chains caught the person's attention and Soifon gritted her teeth against the pain they must be feeling as the woman forced herself up right, only this time, she remained standing – and there she stood, in the centre of the bloody mess.

The woman turned around and their eyes met – her carefree golden eyes were lost in a haze of wild fury, her body was shaking from the adrenaline surging through her veins and it was hard to believe that this bloodstained person was the same one Soifon had fallen in love with as Yoruichi stepped over the still twitching body.

Soifon made the mistake of staring at the bodies on the ground – bile formed at the back of her throat and she fought back the waves of vomit threatening her body at the sight of so much blood.

They had sent more into the arena this time and each man had a weapon while Yoruichi had to fight them off with her bare hands. The men played with her at first, testing out her abilities and tried to wear her down even more, the man wearing the knuckle dusters was the first to land a direct hit on Yoruichi with a sickening crunch on her left shoulder. The force of the blow sent her colliding into the wall and she fell into a crumpled heap on the ground.

Soifon couldn't watch anymore as the three men surged forward and rained down blow after blow on Yoruichi's curled up body, goaded on by the crowd yelling and shouting out for more, for them to break her. The man holding the bat seemed determined to break every bone in her body while Yoruichi was left trying to scramble away from the blows, crying out in pain as each one hit her.

One of the men grew bored from just beating the fallen goddess and he turned on Soifon, an evil glint shinning in his eyes while tears fell silently down her own face for Yoruichi.

The man moved towards her.

A desperate terrifying scream, filled with rage, pain and fear was let loose from Yoruichi. The man turned to defend himself as Yoruichi charged past the two men beating her down. He was too slow; he fell instantly the second her heel smashed into the side of his face, successfully breaking his jaw in the process. Blood poured out of his mouth but she did not stop. She smashed her fists into his face continuously until nothing but blood and broken bones remained and he choked on his very lifeforce.

The man holding the wooden bat charged at her, preparing himself to swing it down on her head. Yoruichi rolled off his dying companion and avoided the attack. While the man prepared to swing the weapon at her again, she charged into him, knocking him to the ground as well, the bat slipped out of his hands. Winded from the fall, the dazed man could do nothing but watch as Yoruichi picked up the bat and brought it down directly on his face. He cried out in pain and blood went everywhere as she smashed the bat into his face again and again till he fell silent.

The last remaining man stood transfixed by the sight and as golden eyes locked on his, fear gripped him, freezing him to the spot as his death walked steadily towards him. She was covered in blood, her clothes torn from the previous battles, nothing but hate filled her eyes as she advanced on him. He found the strength needed to make himself run and he did run. He turned tail and ran to the locked doors, pounding on them, shouting for help but he got nothing but insults and wishes of his death from the laughing crowd.

He turned around; he saw her raise the bat, fully prepared to strike him down. He fell to his knees and begged her to spare him, begged her to let him go. Yoruichi's eyes hardened as she brought the bat down on his exposed back, Soifon was sure it broke his spinal column. Yoruichi did not stop there either, she was too worked up to stop, the need to fight, a very raw, very primal need to fight was pounding through her body and she continued to bring the bat down upon the man's body. Soifon watched as the bat splinted and shattered in Yoruichi's hands and watched as Yoruichi sank to her knees, her body trembled and shook as she fought to control her breathing.

Soifon glanced around the arena, the air stank of death. The bodies from the previous rounds of fighting lay scattered around the floor and were now joined by three new victims. Blood covered the floor and Yoruichi herself, only Soifon was unstained by its touch. They crowd grew silent as they waited for the next round to start while Soifon was wondering how much longer this could go on for. They made Yoruichi fight constantly without time to recover and they kept sending stronger men at her, something was bound to give eventually, it was inevitable.

As Yoruichi limped towards her, Soifon could see the damage done to her in more detail, her face was bashed and bruised and she knew her body would be covered in a similar fashion from taking blows from the knuckle dusters and bat alike though the worst injury had to be her leg from the previous round of foes Yoruichi had been forced to fight and kill. One of her opponents had gotten lucky with a blade and had sliced the skin on the back of her left leg as easily as cutting butter and with nothing to wrap around the injury, blood continued to flow from the wound.

Soifon wanted to scream at Yoruichi to run, to leave this place while she still could, she knew she could get away if she really tried, it wouldn't be too hard for her to get through the doors while the men entered. Soifon sobbed at the sight of Yoruichi biting back a cry of pain. She strained against the chains to reach out to her but they held strong, holding her in place._ Just leave me and save yourself, please! _

"I'm not leaving you." Yoruichi whispered, almost as if Yoruichi knew what Soifon was thinking from the look in her eyes.

The doors on the other side of the arena creaked open and the crowd began to chant in anticipation of the next battle, betting on who would go down first.

Soifon looked up at Yoruichi again, pleading with her to make an escape.

Yoruichi's eyes soften to allow a small smile to grace her face before she turned, taking up a defences stance in front of Soifon, ready to protect her again.

Soifon could only watch helplessly as the opponents raced into the arena, again there was more this time and again, they had weapons.

It was madness.

And the crowd cheered.

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><p><strong>AN: **Believe it or not, this came about me feeling like I am constantly fighting to stay ontop of my work load lol. How I got from tons of homework to crazy life or death battle I don't know but I wanted it to be much darker but at the same time, something very quick and not very detailed...either way, I like it and I may continue it at some point...maybe...but for now it's a one shot.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about The Lift, I'm slowly getting through the next chapter and fingers crossed it should be up sometime next week...maybe...


	2. Chapter 2

**Madness  
>Part 2<strong>

It was hopeless.

And the crowd cheered.

Yoruichi was pinned down, unable to break free, unable to defend herself.

Soifon was straining against the chains, the skin around her wrists had benn rubbed raw by the shackles, her voice hoarse and broken from shouting at the men to stop.

Her pleas for help were drowned out by Yoruichi's own screams of pain.

Soifon scrunched her eyes shut and slammed her hands over her ears, unable to take in the sight or sound of Yoruichi's torment any longer.

Soifon had known it was only matter of time until something gave out eventually; it was after all, inevitable that Yoruichi would not be able to keep fighting but Soifon did not think it would have been her that broke first.

It made sense to believe that Soifon would have remained unharmed with Yoruichi stepping in whenever someone got even close to approaching her. Soifon would have been free from any pain, if she wasn't in love with Yoruichi. Every blow dealt to the dark skinned woman was a direct hit to Soi's heart.

Soi felt the scream rip through her body and how it tore through her lips before she heard it herself.

The arena fell silent.

All eyes turned towards Soifon.

Even the two men bent on stamping Yoruichi's life out stopped to stare at her.

Soifon had to remove her hands from her ears and open her eyes again; taking in every face now focused on her to make certain that she truly hadn't gone insane and was imagining it.

There was a split second where she swore you could hear a pin drop and then the crowd started to laugh.

It took another moment for her to realise that she wasn't imagining things again and that they really were pointing and laughing at her.

The two men standing over Yoruichi shared an exchange of some sort but Soifon was unable to hear what was said over the crowd's laughter. She guessed it had something to do with her because the taller of the two was making his way towards her while the other stayed by Yoruichi's beaten down body in the centre of the arena.

He stopped right in front of her and crouched down to her level. He grinned at her and Soifon stared into his cold, heartless eyes as he raised his right hand before her, twisting it around to make sure she could see the blood, Yoruichi's blood, staining his skin. He lowered his hand to his lips and without taking his eyes off of hers, ran his tongue all the way along his hand, licking up the blood with a sadistic smile on his face.

Soifon turned away from the scene playing out before her eyes, sick to her stomach at what he was doing only his rough, calloused fingers snapped around her chin and forced her head back around to face him. The crowd realised his intention before Soifon could and they goaded the man onwards, stamping their feet in unison as he leaned in closer to her and roughly clamped down on her lips, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Repulsion flooded Soi's mind and body right down to her very core the second she realised what was happening and she jerked away with all her might, effectively breaking the unwanted kiss. Soifon braced herself for his anger at her defiance but it didn't come, she slowly looked back at him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking when he stuck his tongue out at her and she could see the dark stain of blood there. It was then that Soifon noticed the unusual copper taste within her mouth and she realised she could taste Yoruichi's blood in her mouth as well. Desperation overcame her and Soifon did her best to rid herself of the taste, to spit the blood out but the copper taste remained as evidence of what he did, a reminder of the pain he had caused Yoruichi.

The man's grin turned into a sneer and he broke out into a harsh laugh, joining in with the crowd's laughter at her reaction and this time, Soifon didn't have time to brace herself for his thick knuckles collided into her jaw within the blink of an eye.

The crowd erupted into a roar of pleasure, shouting out for more when the sound of gong rang through the arena.

Confusion consumed Soifon, she was waiting for the next attack when man stood up and actually walked away from her while the crowd groaned out in disappointment.

"Now, you know the rules, an hour a day so behave and return tomorrow for the next round." A voice sparked into life through hidden speakers and it cut above the crowds' complaints. Soifon recognised it as the voice that announced the start of this madness. As if on cue, she heard the sound of doors opening and could see the crowd slowly start to disperse through the exits provided for them.

Soifon's head was still reeling from the attack but she managed to focus on the arena doors as they creaked open and the two men left through them together. The doors swung shut leaving Soifon and Yoruichi alone in the arena with the bodies of men Yoruichi had killed.

Then every light went out, clocking the bloodshed in darkness.

In the darkness, Soifon grasped at the new information presented to her by the unknown voice. That they had been in the arena for an hour and that it would happen again tomorrow. This information was no comfort to Soi at all; in fact it just created more questions that spiralled out of control in her mind.

She needed something real, something that she could focus on, to pull her out and away from the madness: Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi?" she asked the darkness, her eyes straining to make out any kind of detail with no luck, she couldn't even see the ground beneath her. It was disorienting and only added to the desperation building inside of her.

_Did I hear something?_ Her ears strained to pick up any sign of life.

"Yoruichi?" she tried again.

A moan, unmistakable this time came from somewhere she believed was the centre of the arena, right where Yoruichi had been. It was faint, barely audible but Soifon heard it none the less.

"Yoruichi!" Soi moved towards the sound and the chains held her in place. "God dam it!" Soifon cursed in frustration and pulled against the chains with all her strength, ignoring the pain in her already sore wrists. "Let me out!" Soifon yelled out to the darkness as loud as she could and was answered by the silence. This only spurred her anger on and she yelled out again and again, fighting against the chains all the time. Someone had to be around; someone had to hear her yelling. "You can't ignore me forever! You can't do this, let me out!" Soifon's voice cracked, the pain in her wrists became too much to pull against the shackles anymore and she slumped forwards. "She needs me…" Soifon sobbed quietly as despair consumed her.

"Maybe none of this would have happened if we had never met." Soifon whispered and a single tear rolled down the side of her face.

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><p><strong>AN: **Starting to believe this has become the story I write when I need to vent...  
>So I have no clue when I'll next update this, for what happens next, I need to have a happy moment so I can write everything but that and insert it later on i guess XD<br>Even if this is kinda tamer on the blood and gore details than the 1st chapter, don't worry - it will return.


	3. Chapter 3

**Madness  
>Part 3<strong>

_Everyone has their daily routine that runs like clockwork. They may be aware of this or not but it holds true for every person, including Soifon and she was currently running as fast as her feet could carry her to catch up with hers._

_Though Soifon didn't quite understand why she was more worried by the thought of missing her chance to see the girl again than she was about being late for school. Maybe it was strange that she had a fascination for the girl that always sat on the rooftop but she couldn't help it. For as far back as she could remember Soifon had always seen the girl with purple hair sitting on top of the cattle market's roof top on her way to school. When she was finally old enough to walk to school, Soifon even found her pace slowing down when she passed the animal market just so she could catch a better glimpse of the rooftop girl._

_Maybe it was because the girl looked so out of place on top of the battered, old roof top that drew Soifon's fascination or the fact that the people working there didn't seem to mind the stranger's presence. Soifon had thought of many reasons similar to these as to why she would stare up at the girl but as Soi grew up and began to understand herself more, it was her attraction to the rooftop girl that brought her back each and every morning._

_Knowing what her feelings were only sparked a deeper reaction within her soul. There was nothing she could do to escape it, the girl was always there no matter what Soifon was meant to be concentrating on. She found herself longing to know what thoughts passed through the girl's mind as she stared out across the horizon every morning and even fantasised of being lucky enough to finally sit on that rooftop beside the purple haired girl._

_That fantasy shattered into tiny pieces when Soifon finally reached the cattle market and there was no girl sitting on the rooftop._

_She was too late._

_Not knowing if it was the physical exertion or the emotional impact of having missed her chance to see the rooftop girl, Soifon's legs gave out and she sank to the floor, her eyes stung from the onset of tears, unable to understand why she was acting this way over someone she didn't even know._

_She could hear footsteps of someone approaching and knew she most look pathetic, doubled over on the ground and fighting back tears but she didn't care, she was too upset over not being able to see the girl again._

_The person stopped in front of her and Soifon had half a mind to tell them to mind their own bushiness when the figure crouched down and Soifon saw the unmistakable purple hair belonging to girl on the roof and felt the girl's hand touch her shoulder reassuringly. _

"_Are you alright?" the girl asked. Soifon couldn't find any words to answer her; she was left dumbstruck by the girl's beauty. Being this close to her now though, the girl no longer looked like a girl. In fact Soifon could easily say this person could be the most beautiful woman she would ever see in her entire life. Her chocolate skin was flawless; her bright, purple hair shimmered in the light and Soifon imagined it feeling like silk when touched, even the woman's voice sounded like soft velvet covering Soifon's body in a warm blanket. And those eyes, those beautiful, golden eyes, Soifon found herself getting lost in the deep golden ocean before her now._

"_I waited for you…I thought -" the golden eyes looked down for the briefest of moments and the soft voice broke before the woman fixed her gaze back on Soifon, who wondered why this stranger could possibly be nervous or have a reason to hesitate. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you today."_

_These words rooted Soifon to the spot; her mind was sent reeling over the news that this goddess before her had been watching her all this time too that if it wasn't for her senses kicking in, she wouldn't have noticed the warmth of woman's breath brushing the top of her lip and the soft strength of the kiss that engulfed her and one that only gained in strength. The kiss was hard but soft; fiery but cool; a split second but forever and among all of the dizziness, it was right and it felt like Soifon knew more about this person than she would ever learn through a conversation._

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><p>Another tear rolled down Soifon's face at the memory of them both meeting, a weak laugh catches in her throat and the darkness turns it into a sob. It was one of those moments Soifon knew she would never forget, never even thought of erasing it from her mind and would always treasure it forever only right now, if it could have spared Yoruichi from going through this, she would take it all back.<p>

Soifon whimpered and grimaced at the pain in her wrists when she tried to pull against the chains again, she could feel that the left side of her cheek had started to swell from where the man had struck her too. It didn't help that the pitch blackness they had been plunged into, had completely distorted any sense of realty she had left and she couldn't even take a guess at how much time had passed.

"Did he hurt you?" The voice was cracked and clearly holding back a lot of pain but Soifon heard Yoruichi none the less and Soifon grasped at it through the darkness, determined to hold onto it.

"N-no! It wasn't that hard." Soifon knew it was pointless in hoping that Yoruichi had not witnessed the forced kiss, in fact she wouldn't be surprised if the other man had forced Yoruichi to watch it.

"I tried…I - I couldn't get past him." The sorrow and regret was so apparent in Yoruichi's tone that it left Soifon wanting to apologise again and again to her without knowing why.

"Don't worry about it." Soifon sobbed quietly, unable to think of anything helpful or comforting to tell Yoruichi and Soifon felt the nightmare of the past hour closing in around her. Only this time, she couldn't fight her way out and the pain from her body hitting the concrete floor was the last thing Soifon felt before her mind gave out to the madness.

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, got the happy scene done that I was stuck on so now the next time I start to feel upset, down or just need to vent means the next chapter can get written XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Madness **  
><strong>Part 4<strong>

_Am I still asleep? It's so dark…_

Soifon clenched her eyes shut and saw nothing but utter darkness.

She opened her eyes and saw nothing but utter darkness; the only way she could tell if her eyes were open or not was because she could feel herself blinking. It was so disorienting that Soifon was glad to feel the cold hard ground beneath her, at least she knew which way was up and down.

Her muscles were stiff and ached from having slept on the floor with nothing but her clothes to keep her warm and Soifon tried stretching in hopes of loosening them up. She winced at the pain movement brought and retreated into a tight ball for protection against the chains that rubbed the raw skin around her wrists.

If she was feeling this bad, Soifon dreaded to think of how much pain Yoruichi must be going through right now and she tried calling out to Yoruichi, the words stuck in her dry throat. It was then that Soifon realised just how thirsty she really was and after wetting her lips, she felt that they were dry and cracked as well.

Soifon thought back to when she had last eaten or had a drink and it had to be the day they had been captured, if so she could only guess at how long ago that was. If Soifon were to judge by how hungry and thirsty she actually felt it could easily be two or three days ago now and Soifon was also sure she only noticed it now since she wasn't been forced to watch Yoruichi struggle in a life or death battle right now. Not that it seemed to matter now since they were both going to slowly die from dehydration or starvation if they weren't killed by the men sent into the arena, it all depended on which struck first. Soifon did know one thing for sure, Yoruichi would most likely die first and then Soifon would be left alone in the darkness, waiting for death to claim her too.

Knowing this only made Soifon want to feel Yoruichi's warm body beside hers again even more than before that she was pulling at the chains again with all her strength. She ignored the growing pain in her wrists and the strain building in her arms since getting to Yoruichi was more important than the blood slowly oozing from her broken skin.

A blinding white light flooded Soifon's vision and she shielded her eyes, retreating from the overwhelming light source as best as possible now that her vision was clouded by imprints of the lights being turned back. As Soifon waited for her vision to adjust to the arena being flooded with light again she could hear the sound of people, lots of people talking and laughing, their voices fill with anticipation.

_It can't have been a day already!_ Her mind panicked when she caught a glimpse of the people filing into the crowd stands that formed the arena. _I slept that long?_ Soifon cursed her lack of time, she cursed the crowd for looking so eager for the day's event to begin and she cursed at their captors, she cursed everything she could possibly think of that had led to Yoruichi and herself being captured and held in the arena.

_Yoruichi! S_oifon snapped her attention to the centre of the arena and felt her blood run cold with fear at the sight of Yoruichi lying there motionless amongst the dead bodies. Soifon was too far away from Yoruichi to tell if she was even breathing or not that Soifon could do nothing but hold onto a wild hope that Yoruichi was still alive. Even then she knew there was no way Yoruichi could attempt to fight back or even defend herself against the next round of attackers.

"Welcome to the second day's event. Behave, watch and enjoy!" It was the third time Soifon had heard this unknown voice, the first time she had felt nothing but confusion at not knowing where she was or what was happening. The second time, the voice brought relief in knowing that Yoruichi wouldn't be attacked anymore. This time…this time it brought nothing but heartbreak and pure fear at the news she was going to lose Yoruichi forever.

_No, no I can't let that happen!_ With what little movement the chains would allow Soifon forced herself upright and managed to suppress a groan from the movement, her body was still stiff and weakened from her lack of nutrition. Even with these at her disadvantage, Soifon knew if she didn't at least try to keep the men away from Yoruichi, she would never see her wife's smile again.

The doors to the arena creaked open to the thunderous applause of the crowd just like the day before and Soifon found herself getting lost in their madness for more pain, for more bloodshed that she couldn't believe any one of them had a normal job or family waiting for them at home. The same thoughts passed through her head when she two men entering the arena and recognised them as the ones who had left yesterday. The man who had struck her returned her gaze with that sadistic grin of his and Soifon glared back him defiantly. It was the only way she could think of doing to get their attention on her and away from Yoruichi since her throat was sore and the crowd's chanting would drown out whatever she tried to yell at them anyway.

It obviously worked because the sadistic grin was replaced with a look of annoyance at her act of defiance and he pushed off the ground into a full on sprint towards Soifon, who barely had enough time to crack a smile at her small success before the man reached her. He planted his right knee firmly into her stomach; Soifon tumbled backwards, unable to breathe as crippling pain blurred her vision. She didn't even have time to register the fact that she had hit the ground when his fist collided into the side of face.

Soifon was still desperately trying to gasp for air when she felt herself being turned over to see the man leaning over her and his arm drawing back for another attack. She fought back against her oxygen deprived body and managed to raise her arms over her face for protection. His fist made direct contact with her arms and even though it caused less pain then if he had struck her face again, Soifon still cried out from the pain now pulsating through her arms. There was a sharp yank on the shackles around her wrists which pulled her arms away from her face and Soifon found herself staring directly into the man's eyes. There was something festering deep within his soulless black eyes at their close proximity that scared Soifon more than any of the pain he had unleashed on her so far and she was all too aware of the crowd's goading chants intensifying as he leaned ominously over her.

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><p>The beaten down goddess gritted her teeth against the pain any movement wracked her body with but her arms still gave out from the strain. It was useless, her body hurt too much to be of any good in order to help Soifon. The distance between them was too much and there was still the other man she'd have to get past as well. Yoruichi felt utterly useless at hearing Soifon cry out and could do nothing but watch as the man pinned Soifon down and how the chains stopped Soi from being able to escape as he tore ruthlessly at her clothing.<p>

Yoruichi tried again to get up, swearing and cursing as loud as she could at the man to get away from her Soifon when a heavy weight slammed into the square of her back that forced her to the ground yet again. Yoruichi twisted around to confirm that it was in fact the other man who had stamped his foot onto her back, pinning her down, preventing her from going to Soifon's aide.

Try as she might, Yoruichi couldn't break free from the man's body weight and could only watch in horror at how Soifon was trapped beneath the man, swatting at him uselessly as the crowd roared in triumph at him invading Soifon's body in front of them all. Yoruichi bowed her head to hide the tears threatening to overflow at seeing the pain etched across Soi's face and when she heard Soifon screaming, Yoruichi balled her fists to the point her nails drew blood from her palms. The only thing Yoruichi was the least bit thankful for right now was the fact that Soifon was not screaming for her to help since she felt like a complete waste of space, crying face down in the ground, a failure as a human being for not being able to protect the one she loved.

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><p>The crowd were all up on their feet, some laughing, some cheering and shouting for more while others were clearly getting off to the scene unfolding before their very eyes apart from one man who was sat stock still on the very back row. The brim of his hat cast a dark shadow across his face which was bowed low to avoid witnessing the violation of the woman's body and he visible cringed at hearing her screaming out in pain. The man decided he could take no more of the so called entertainment and stood up and headed towards one of the exits that lead out and away from this place.<p>

"The hour's not done yet buddy." The person standing guard by the exit told the man, too busy enjoying himself to the events taking place in the arena to even bother looking at who had approached the door.

Revulsion filled the man's face at how the guard was jerking himself off at someone else's torture and in one fluid motion he snapped the guard's neck in mere seconds. No one heard or noticed the man open the door and drag the body with him out of sight as the door closed shut.

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><p>The man standing guard over Yoruichi's battered form removed his foot from her back when his friend was finally done with Soifon, much to the crowd's displeasure as they were shouting out for him to keep going.<p>

"You about done? I want to use our ticket." Yoruichi overheard him tell the other man who was still on an obvious high after what he had done to Soifon and was busy posing for the crowd, loving every bit of attention they gave him.

"Oh? What you got in mind?" Soi's attacker came over to the man who had pinned Yoruichi down and she saw that he was the taller of the two.

"Want to shut her up," the smaller man pointed at Yoruichi but she was looking at Soifon who was now lying motionless, her exposed back to Yoruichi so she couldn't see her properly. "She kept mumbling and crying, it was so pathetic, thought I'd get a headache." The smaller one complained.

"Knock yourself out." The taller man waved him off towards the door and crouched down in front of Yoruichi's field of vision, his sadistic grin grew even wider at seeing her tear stained face. "Awww," he cooed mockingly. "Don't cry, she's a good fuck. You picked a good one there." Yoruichi flung her fist at him in anger and he stopped her feeble attack with the palm of his hand. His eyes shinned wickedly and he snatched hold of her other arm and had rolled her over faster than she could up with, pinning her arms above her head.

"What the – let go you bastard!" Yoruichi tried to free her arms but it was no use and the man quickly sat astride her to stop her moving around so much, completely pinning her in place successfully.

"Whoa, she is a loud one." He commented as the smaller one returned and Yoruichi noticed that he was carrying a flask of some sort in his hands. Like her, the crowd had spotted the flask as well and were waiting with anticipation as to what would happen next. Even the man pinning Yoruichi's arms down was intrigued as well since he asked what it was.

"A little something to cause a lot of pain if she tries to talk." The smaller man replied gleefully, "Gotta make her drink it though." Not liking the sound of this one bit, Yoruichi used every last bit of her strength to get out from under the man but with him sat firmly above her, every movement seemed like wasted energy and when she could barely move, the smaller man moved the flask closer to her lips but she refused to open her mouth even an inch. The taller, dark haired man sitting on top of Yoruichi lowered his head to her body, flashed her that wicked grin of his before he clamped his jaw shut on her breast through her top, his sharp canine teeth sinking deeply into the sensitive skin. Yoruichi shrieked out from the sharp jolt of pain shooting through her chest and it provided enough time for the smaller man to pour the liquid from the flask into her mouth at the same time.

Red hot scorching liquid burned the inside of her mouth and Yoruichi choked on the fiery liquid as it travelled involuntarily down her throat and settled in her stomach and lungs. She screamed as the boiling liquid set fire to her throat and did her best to spit it out of her mouth but the man kept pouring it and the other kept her pinned tightly in place as she writhed around in searing agony. The only thing she could do to not drown in the stuff was to swallow it and that meant more of it scolding her from the inside. Just when she thought it was going to end, her gag reflex kicked in and she started to vomit the horrible stuff back up and she had to twist round so she didn't choke any further. Both men retreated from her quickly, not wanting any of the stuff to get on themselves as Yoruichi was hunched over on all fours, throwing up the burning liquid, gripping her stomach while gasping for much needed air, moaning and whimpering in pain that each breath caused her.

"What was that stuff?" the taller man asked, eyeing the empty flask cautiously.

"They told me it was hot boiling water and some kind of diluted acid." The other replied

"Nice." The taller man replied and they high-fived each other, very pleased with the results of their little gift and even the crowd seemed impressed with the results as well and were happily debating what had been in the flask.

Yoruichi grasped at her throat and collapsed sideways to the ground, her eyes full of tears from the fiery sensation in her mouth and throat that she was struggling to breathe. The cold air hitting the back of her throat intensified the burning sensation that she wanted nothing more than to stop breathing entirely if it meant that the pain would decrease. Yoruichi desperately wanted it to stop; she needed it to stop and she had no idea how to make it stop as she clawed at her neck. Yoruichi squinted over to where Soifon was and despite wanting to reach out to her, didn't in case she brought the men's attention back on Soifon and caused her more pain and suffering.

"What shall we do now?" The taller one asked sounding rather bored as he looked between the two collapsed women and knew neither one of them could put up a fight anymore.

"Kill them?" the smaller one shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kill them." The taller man agreed, "I got the purple head." He replied and advanced on Yoruichi, eager to end this round and get some new people who could put up a fight.

He was a few steps away from reaching Yoruichi when the unmistakeable sound of a gong rang loud and clear above the noise of the crowd stamping their feet in unison like the sound of a beating drum. The taller man groaned in disappointment at having his kill taken away from him as did the crowd but just like the previous time, he turned and headed for the doors and left the arena with his friend. The crowd jumped to their feet in uproar at the lousy timing and the voice cut through the speakers in response.

"Come on now, you got an extra treat today so be good and leave calmly. Don't forget to place bets on if they survive the night, that purple lass could go at any minute!" it summarised excitedly as the doors opened for the crowd to leave through.

Yoruichi cracked an eye open and forced her oxygen deprived mind to work through the cloud of pain which had rooted itself deeply in her body. She knew any minute now that the lights would go off and she'd have no hope of knowing where Soifon was anymore. Yoruichi soon found that movement proved just as painful as her breathing but she forced her muscles to work till she was facing the direction she needed in order to reach Soifon with not another moment to spare as they were plunged into darkness again.

"Soi?" Yoruichi croaked out, instinctively grabbing her throat to try and ease the pain coursing through it with no luck as she broke out into a coughing fit which left Yoruichi huddled in the fetal position against the onslaught of her body as she struggled to breathe.

"I'm sorry…Soifon I-I'm so sorry." Yoruichi sobbed through the burning pain again and again, repeating it like a mantra in hopes of it making everything all right, she could say it every day for the rest of her life and it still wouldn't make a difference but she couldn't think of any comforting words that could possibly do any good for Soifon, not after what had taken place. Yoruichi squinted through her tear stained eyes to where she believed Soifon was huddled in the darkness and wondered if her little bee even wanted her to speak to her, would Soi let her hold her again and to tell her that things would be alright? Would any of those things make a difference for Soifon? Yoruichi didn't know but she kept on apologising till she couldn't speak through the pain burning in her throat and lungs.

* * *

><p>"Yoru?" It was very quiet but Yoruichi heard Soifon finally call out to her.<p>

"…Yes?" Yoruichi replied weakly, her own voice barely above a whisper, both her mind and body exhausted from the ordeals they had been put through.

"Can you…do - do you think…" Soifon trailed off meekly.

"What is it? Tell me." Yoruichi prompted and fought back against the coughing fit as best she could to keep Soifon from worrying more about her.

"Could you…come here, beside me?" Soifon asked and Yoruichi heard the undertone of desperation in Soi's voice in needing Yoruichi beside her again.

"Of course." Yoruichi whispered back, again holding back a wave of fresh pain that came from speaking. She braced herself against the discomfort movement was going to bring but kept reminding herself that Soifon was waiting for her anytime she felt like giving up and surrendering to her aching muscles. It took a lot longer than she would have liked it to have been but after slowly crawling forwards through the darkness, Yoruichi finally reached Soifon's side and allowed her body to give into exhaustion as she collapsed beside her wife, pressing her forehead tentatively into the back of Soifon's neck.

"You're freezing." Yoruichi coughed and her body shuddered from her trying to regain control of her breathing rate.

"You alright?" Soifon asked once Yoruichi's coughing fit ended. Unable to understand how Soifon was the one to ask that instead of her, Yoruichi simply nodded and clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to fight back more tears as she draped her arm across Soifon protectively, seeking some comfort in the fact that her body heat would help keep Soifon warm during the night.

The two of them were in the final stages of drifting off into sleep when the familiar sound of the large heavy doors creaking open caught their attention. Both of their hearts froze in horror, there was no way it had been an entire night and they both waited silently in fear for what could possibly be joining them in the arena.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Because of how long it's been since I updated anything on this site, I combined two chapters in one with this as an extra thank you for all those who have read, reviwed and favourited this story along with any of my other stories :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Madness  
>Part 5<strong>

Soifon propped herself up to try and peer through the darkness at what could possibly be happening, she intensified her grip on Yoruichi's arm draped across her when she saw a single torch beam slowly scanning around the arena floor that was steadily approaching their position.

"Yoruichi!" Soifon whispered frantically, shaking her partner more awake at the same time. Yoruichi willed herself to turn over and see what was causing the distress in her wife's tone when she was nearly blinded by the light now shinning on them both. Whoever was holding the torch began to advance on them both and Yoruichi's arms felt like dead weights as she tried to block the light from her eyes to get a better look at who the person was with no success.

"What do you want?" Soifon called out to the person, her voice betraying how scared and uncertain she was at the unexpected guest. Yoruichi's mind was busy trying to work through the heavy layers of pain and exhaustion that had set in to try and answer that very question when a familiar voice spoke to them both.

"I couldn't wait till tomorrow." Yoruichi felt Soifon's grip tighten on her arm to the point Soi's nails cut into her flesh and had drawn blood at the sound of his voice. Yoruichi glanced at Soifon and wasn't prepared to see that the colour had drained from her face or the look of sheer terror resonating deep within her eyes. Yoruichi knew that Soifon was clearly reliving every second of how he had forced himself inside of her and how she couldn't even fight back or think about escaping due to the chains restraining her. Now that Yoruichi was so close to Soifon again, she could see all sorts of bruises and even bite marks staining Soi's body from his earlier assault in the light of the torch beam that Yoruichi welcomed the sensation of hatred consuming her that was directed solely at the man who had hurt her Soifon. She used it to fuel her muscles into working again till she had formed a barrier with her own body between Soifon and the monster that had approached. She didn't care what he did to her so long as he stayed away from Soifon.

_Hurry up!_ Yoruichi cried mentally at him as her strength was beginning to fail, it was only a matter of seconds till she collapsed under her own weight and she needed him to believe she would put up a better fight then Soifon would since that's what this monster craved. Yoruichi was about to risk shouting at him when the torch he held was lowered to the ground, its light beam still directed at her and Soifon only now she had no idea where he was. He could be circling around behind her for all she knew since he was making sure not to step into its beam of light. Her knees buckled just when she felt her right arm twist painfully behind her back by a strong and powerful hold which was followed by an electrical bolt running up and down her arm as it felt like it had snapped out of it's socket.

A heavy fog settled in Yoruichi's mind and she didn't understand why she had not felt any impact as she slumped sideways to the ground or why she couldn't tell what Soifon was frantically trying to tell her.

It became more difficult for Yoruichi to keep her eyes open as she drifted in and out of a state of consciousness that she barely registered the fact that a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth and nose, cutting off her air supply.

Yoruichi allowed her vision to focus on Soifon and was sad to see that she was crying. Yoruichi longed to be able to kiss and wipe the tears away like she had done so many times before.

The sight of Soifon crying was replaced with the memory of her kissing her Soifon for the very first time and how the most adorable blush covered Soifon's face afterwards and that image was replaced with the first time Soifon visited her house and how they studied together for many months, played video games later on and how Soifon had protested to Yoruichi letting her sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor when a powerful storm lit up the sky with lightning, preventing Soifon from walking home. Yoruichi recalled waking up that morning to find that Soifon had joined her some time during the night on the floor because when Yoruichi opened her eyes, Soifon was curled happily into her body like she was always meant to be there.

Memory after memory of her life with Soifon engulfed Yoruichi's vision, Soifon meeting her friends, the memory of them going to nearby river and swimming in the water to dry off in the sun afterwards. Their summer road trip, eight of them crammed into a van as they explored the country and camped out every night under the starry sky together. The time she had officially introduced Soifon to her parents as her girlfriend and how Soifon was an instant hit, in fact Yoruichi was still positive that her father preferred Soifon's hardworking nature over her own laid back stance on getting things done. The day she had bought her own place and had asked Soifon to move in with her then meeting Soifon's parents, who gave them their blessing and allowed Soifon to leave with her and how it had led to them having sex for the very first time as well. The overwhelming joy and happiness shared between them at both acquiring their first jobs and when promotions occurred.

The first major fight they had which resulted in them sleeping in different rooms all because some co-worker of Soifon's kept trying to win her affection with bonuses and wage increases. Yoruichi's jealously had led to their relationship nearly breaking and yet served only to strengthen it in the end, both becoming a better person from the experience and both vowing to never let anyone even get close to thinking they stood a chance at separating them ever again. That incident led to their unforgettable engagement night where everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong and the night ended with them both laughing their heads off while trying to get the words out of their mouths. Luck was on their side when it came time for the wedding and everything ran smoothly, even with some of their pals going a bit crazy on the dance floor.

All of these memories flashed by in the blink of an eye but the final memory lingered in Yoruichi's mind and she instantly recognised it as the last night of their honeymoon together.

_Yoruichi returned to their hotel room and found the place a glow with the light of a hundred candles or more with a trail of rose petals on the floor. Stunned, Yoruichi followed the trail already knowing it lead to the bedroom which was also lit by candles. Yoruichi's focus turned on Soifon who stood before her dressed in some jeans, a plain white spaghetti strapped top and she still managed to look both beautiful and desirable along with every other breathtaking word Yoruichi could think of to describe her wife._

"_I love you." Yoruichi whispered, still in awe at the candles, the rose petals but most of all, she was in awe of Soifon._

"_Always?" Soifon asked and Yoruichi had no idea how Soifon managed to turn that into a genuine question and sound incredibly sexy at the same time._

"_I'll never stop loving you." Yoruichi breathed into the kiss as Soifon's lips met her own._

Yoruichi allowed her eyes to slide shut as she was carried away in the fading memory of their last kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Madness  
>Part 6<strong>

She was lost

Lost to the madness.

Soifon could only stare at the body, unable to utter a sound, unable to understand it.

Her last remaining grip on sanity had been extinguished the moment Yoruichi's eyes slid shut, never to open again.

Her world cracked and shattered till she found herself smiling at the sight of the monster advancing towards her.

She was ready for this nightmare to end.

She wanted it to end.

She wanted to be reunited with her wife.

Soifon barely registered if he had pushed her sideways or if she had slumped to the ground voluntarily, all she knew was that she was lying on the ground again, still too far away to reach out to her wife's body.

He started to speak to her, no doubt gloating or trying to break her further except Soi knew it was pointless, she was already broken. She didn't pay him or his words any attention, instead she found herself entranced by the faint smile traced across Yoruichi's lips which was illuminated by the glow of the torch beam. Relief filled the emptiness that had consumed both Soi's mind and body; it was so strong that Soifon soon found herself crying from the knowledge that Yoruichi's last thoughts had been of something happy, something that had been able to make her happy again and take her away from this horrible place.

A loud crack of gunfire rang through the air above Soifon and it echoed around the dark empty arena, giving the impression that many shots had been fired into the darkness one after the other.

As she waited for the pain to jolt through her body, she witnessed the same monster that had been about to end her life, fall to the ground flat on his stomach, his body now blocking her sight of Yoruichi. His eyes were frozen wide in pain with his mouth forming a silent scream while dark fluid poured from the back of his neck.

Her mind broken, Soifon could only glare at the man now lying beside her with jealously, he was supposed to have killed her and instead he had robbed her of Yoruichi and now he had stolen death from her as well.

"What else do you want?" she half mouthed, half whispered at his lifeless eyes. "What else can you possible take from me!" Soifon forced more venom into her words this time because she received no answer from the man. "I hate you, do you hear me? I hate you." The tears forming in Soi's eyes were now ones full of hate. "I hate you!" she used her remaining strength to attack his lifeless corpse. "I fucking hate you!" Soifon continued to scream and shout at him as she slammed her fists down upon him again and again in outrage. He'd taken everything from her, even taken her only means of escape from this place right before her very eyes that she kept screaming at the man, not caring what she said so long as he knew how much she loathed his very being.

Soifon's attacks on the corpse were met with resistance as a strange weight clamped down on top of her only Soi's mind was too caught up in her hysterical state to even care about the stranger now straddling her. It just made her more frantic and she redoubled her efforts to deal as much damage to the corpse which had stolen everything from her, ignoring the stranger completely and anything that they were trying to say at her.

"Soifon, stop, please." Again Soifon did not stop and even tried pushing the man off of her if it meant being left alone to rip the monster in half but there was faint spark in the back of her mind. Soi couldn't help but wonder how this person knew her name but she dare not stop attacking now that the adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She had no idea how long this new found energy would last and she also knew that she didn't want it going to waste.

"Look at me Soifon!" The stranger yelled at her with all his might and he finally caught hold of and pinned both of her arms against her chest, effectively stopping her assault on the dead body lying motionless beside her. Soifon snapped her venomous glare upon the man and spat savagely at her captor. All of her outrage burning deeply within her cold eyes melted into utter confusion, her mouth opened slowly in silent surprise and tears were crawling down the side of face without her really knowing why.

"It's me." Kisuke confirmed to her softly through a sad smile and released his hold on her. A torn look of both relief and sorrow resonated deeply within his eyes as he gently wiped away one of her tears with his thumb, however any clarity Soifon had gained at seeing Kisuke was soon being lost. His presence only created more questions for her, how did he know she was here? Had she truly gone mad and created him in her subconscious? Why had he not arrived sooner? Had she been shot and killed by the gun after all and was he there to guide her through passing? What was going on? Yoruichi did die with a smile upon her face; it was very likely that she too had seen a vision like this.

_Yoruichi. _

Her heart was struck by painful remorse at just thinking of her wife's name that Soifon felt like she was going to be sick.

The weight of their entire ordeal, of everything that had taken place in that arena, struck Soifon in that moment.

And every muscle in her body turned into a dead weight.

Her mind became sluggish and it hurt too much to try and fight her way out of it.

It became far too easy to stop trying and never do so again.

Far too easy...


	7. Chapter 7

**Madness**  
><strong>Part 7<strong>

He didn't know how to react.

His mind still hadn't been able to process everything that had taken place.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kukaku's hands shaking beside him and he had no words of comfort to offer her for there were none that he could believe in himself.

Their last saving grace had been finding Soifon alive and for a long second Kisuke believed he had witnessed the life fade from her very eyes and still did if he didn't keep reminding himself that he had felt her fragile heart still beating life through Soifon's veins. He barely had time to react to this fact before he heard Kukaku say that Yoruichi was dead.

"This is my fault." Kisuke was fully aware that whatever happens will be his fault, "If I had just -"

"Shut up!" Kukaku snapped at him with a shaky voice and he turned to see her tear stained eyes glaring at him. "Don't make this about you. This is about them." Kisuke followed the direction Kukaku had gestured to and his eyes stared at the hospital doors. Kisuke lowered his vision to the ground as he nodded with full comprehension. This didn't stop his mind from mentally torturing himself by replaying what he did over and over to him.

_He had to make a decision based on what he knew and that was Soifon, for however long it may be was alive and that Yoruichi was not. Everything told him that he needed to get Soifon to help immediately if she was to survive through this ordeal yet every bone and muscle in his body screamed out for him to run to Yoruichi's side and do whatever it took to bring her back to them but what if Soifon didn't have that time left to spare. If he saved Soifon now, how would she react when she found out they had abandoned Yoruichi for her? Would she find the strength to go on living or would grief consume her? Knowing he had wasted too much precious time already, Kisuke leapt to his feet and rushed over to Yoruichi's body, very aware he may have just cost Soifon her life in doing so. _

"I had to try. I had to. I couldn't – I couldn't –"Kisuke held onto what remained of his restraint as he tried to explain his actions and expected another rebuke from Kukaku when he felt her grab his hand firmly in her own.

"I know…I know you couldn't leave her." Kukaku finished for him with an understanding in her eyes that suggested she would have done the same thing.

"But Soifon -" Kisuke protested weakly and he gestured hopeless towards the doors.

"Kisuke, "Kukaku looked at him as strongly as she could considering her emotional state. " You made the right choice." Kisuke knew that she really did believe in him as they sat together in the decorated corridor, the only other sign of movement besides them came from the Christmas lights twinkling in and out of existence.


	8. Chapter 8

**Madness**  
><strong>Part 8<strong>

Kisuke fumbled with the stuffed cat in his arms as he tried to open the door as quietly as possible but it still sounded like an elephant had charged through it instead as he dropped the plushie, he scrambled to pick it back up and looked up in time to see that Kukaku had watched him with a raised eyebrow the whole time.

Even though Kukaku was trying to show some of her usual personality at his act of clumsiness, the weariness in the depths of her eyes showed how she really felt. Kisuke acknowledged her attempt at normality by trying to smile sheepishly at her as he dusted off the cat plushie and wondered how much of a state he must look like right now as well since neither one of them had left the hospital since they had arrived. Visiting hours didn't apply to them due to their roles and Kisuke believed none of the staff had the heart to tell them to leave, in fact they had been granted use of the staff rooms though neither of them had done so since they both hated being away from the rooms for any amount of time.

"Another cat?" Kukaku commented as she stretched out of the seat and watched Kisuke add this new plushie to the ever growing pile of get well presents wrapped in Christmas themed paper beside the bed.

"Nowhere near as bad as those bumble bees you found that, oh yes, actually make buzzing sounds _and_ vibrate." Kisuke mumbled back to her as he picked up the chart at the end of the bed as he looked at Soifon sleeping on the bed with all manner of different tubes and wires sticking into her. In the earlier days of them being there, he was once able to make sense of the numbers written down only now his mind was so frayed he was glad he could still read the time and date stamps. "Any improvements?" Kisuke returned his gaze to the sleeping Soifon, her face was still badly bruised but it looked like the swelling had gone down.

"No." Kukaku confirmed and offered the seat to him. "It's too soon to tell, malnourished, she's too weak, it's a miracle she ever made it this far…oh and it's for the best she remain sedated." Kukaku listed off the things the doctors and nurses told them day in and day out. "All the stuff they told us before. Anything on your end?" Kisuke noted that the hopeful tone in Kukaku's voice had finally faded when she came to ask him this question.

"Saw the doctor come out and a new one went in after they exchanged hushed words." Kisuke glanced at his watch, "That was over 3 hours ago now and still nothing." Kisuke sunk into the chair gratefully.

"I don't understand why they won't tell us anything." Kukaku paced back and forth over this scrap of news…it's been so long, how can they not say something? How can she still be - is Yoruichi even still alive?" Kukaku's voice cracked on the last few words and this forced herself to take a deep breath to try and calm down.

"We know Soifon is alive and with us." Kisuke stated and they both looked at Soifon's sleeping form.

"Yeah she is." Kukaku nodded and tapped into the strength this fact gave her. "I'll call you the second I hear anything." Kukaku confirmed with a goodnight as she left Kisuke with Soifon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Madness  
>Part 9<strong>

Kisuke jolted awake the second his ears caught sound of the door being opened and in shuffled a very pale, almost sickly looking Kukaku as she dragged herself into Soifon's room.

Kisuke didn't move a muscle as he tried to brace himself for the worst but Kukaku didn't say anything at all, in fact she collapsed against the wall and allowed herself to slump down to the ground where she remained in silence.

Not sure if he even wanted to know what bombshell had struck her, Kisuke focused on Soi's sleeping form under the covers of the hospital bed and took as much pleasure as he possible could from the fact that some of the bruising around her face had finally begun to show signs of healing after the few days he had spent waiting for their broken bee to recover.

Kukaku dropped her head into her arms effectively hiding her empty expression from view.

Kisuke watched her do so out of the corner of his eye and it felt like a part of himself had started to crumble away with each passing moment at the realisation that he may not get to see Yoruichi 's catlike smug grin beam back at him again.

"Is-is Y -" He was unable to form a word let alone a sentence before his voice failed him.

Only Kukaku's silence greeted him in return.

He dug his nails into the wood of the chair handles, his knuckles slowly turned white from how tightly he grasped at the chair for support despite being sat down already.

"C-coma." Kukaku told him with an unemotional tone and Kisuke briefly thought of how Soifon could wake up and perform a tap dance routine and still wouldn't be enough to bring back the old explosive Kukaku at the way things were going. What disturbed him most about this though was that it didn't even make him chuckle, he just acknowledged its presence in his mind instead. "With Soifon…unable to make the choice, we're next in line."

"Choice?" Kisuke repeated, a little confused.

"Yoruichi's file doesn't say if she wanted to be kept alive via life support or not." Kukaku summarised nicely.

"She stays alive." Kisuke answered immediately without needing to think about it.

"They say her head trauma is too severe."

"She stays alive." Kisuke repeated firmly as he locked his eyes on Kukaku, her face still buried behind her arms.

"They operated on her for thirty six hours." She wasn't disagreeing with him but Kukaku couldn't stop herself from listing all the things the doctor had told her, all the things they had failed to save Yoruichi from.

"Yoruichi stays alive." Kisuke repeated through a clenched jaw, angry at Kukaku for even thinking otherwise.

"They are still pumping her stomach to remove acid."

"Don't make me repeat myself again Kukaku." Kisuke threatened while he watched her every move carefully.

"They said there's almost no chance she'll ever regain consciousness…" Kukaku desperately wanted to help Yoruichi in any way possible that a little part of her did think it would be best if they let Yoruichi go so she could get away from all the pain and suffering to finally be at peace. Kisuke bolted off the chair and stormed past Kukaku's hunched up form.

"Then you can tell Soifon that we killed her wife after saving them both from that hell hole." He spat out as he knocked over the pile of presents in anger and slammed the door shut after he all but ran out of the room.

A familiar tune began to chime out slowly from one of the presents that had hit the floor, the force of the drop had activated its ability and Kukaku was left alone with tears in her eyes while the sound of Jingle Bells echoed around the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I never even intended Christmas to be a part of this story...it just kinda happened given the festive season is upon us even though it's not quite that festive in this story...


	10. Chapter 10

It was a blur.

Thoughts formed, faded, formed and ran away from her.

Visions and voices reached through the madness now and then. Some provided comfort while others caused her to run and hide from what was shown.

Memories of her childhood were easy for Soifon to place in the ever growing timeline playing out in front of her relentlessly whether she wanted it to or not. There were interruptions though how or what caused them however was a mystery. When she tried to put words to how it felt it was like she had fainted or gone to sleep but then wasn't she already asleep? Thinking about it proved a confusing and energy draining process which often resulted in more blackouts so Soifon did her best to try and not think about it too much.

Another phenomenon that puzzled Soifon was that the longer she stayed in this blank world the more her body ached and hurt from the injuries she received from…That Place. Again Soifon tried her best to avoid thoughts of That Place, too much pain and suffering came from that section of her timeline but it did bother her that the pain was coming back when she had felt as light as a feather at first but now, well now she had a battered and bruised body again.

"I much preferred being a feather…" Soifon thought out loud to the blank world.

"Don't say that Bee, how am I supposed to hug a feather?" Yoruichi's hummed back playfully.

"Since you're like a feather too I imagine it would be easier." Soifon stated with little emotion. It was not the first time she had heard Yoruichi's voice in this place although the past times it had been fractured and often too broken to make sense of what had been said but in time, a few words were exchanged now and then, often a sentence or two before Soi blanked out again or Yoruichi's voice grew too quiet to hear.

"I don't feel like a feather anymore." Yoruichi's voice replied so clearly that Soifon turned around to see Yoruichi's form standing right in front of her. Yoruichi's voice may have been clear but her body was not, it was more like Soifon was looking at a dissolved ghost that used to be Yoruichi.

"W-what is happening?" Soifon stammered, unable to make any sense of this or the empty world around them. "Is this real?"

"I don't know. I feel lost when I think of anything but you." Yoruichi replied with a smile. Soifon took a step towards Yoruichi and withdrew instantly when the ghostly form flickered dangerously out of existence at her doing so.

"-not...same place yet." Yoruichi murmured sadly and Soifon had a feeling she had missed the first half of whatever Yoruichi had told her.

"You seem to know more about what's happening than I do." Soifon fought against her urge to reach out to Yoruichi once more out of fear of losing her altogether.

"I've been here longer."

"Are we…dead?" Soi grasped at her chest from the emotions surging through her heart at this thought and her body cried out in protest from the sudden movement, "If I'm dead, why does it hurt so much? I feel so weak…and I'm starving."

"I guess you're not dead then." Yoruichi smiled weakly and what was rest of form began to slowly dissolve away.

"That's not - No! I have to be dead! Yoruichi don't leave me, I can't lose you again!" Soifon shouted as she ran towards Yoruichi and Soifon ran right through her, lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"I'll always be with you." Yoruichi's last words echoed throughout the empty world as Yoruichi's form faded away completely.

"Yoruichi!" Soifon bolted upright and felt wires tear out of her body while she tried to come to terms at being in a plain room compared to the empty world she had previously been in. machines beeped to the side of her while she took in the sight of both Kisuke and Kukaku staring back at her with wide eyes and open mouthed.

Neither person moved as the three continued to stare at one another in shock and in Soi's case, utter bewilderment. It wasn't because Soifon didn't know what to say to either of them, in fact she had a ton of questions for them both only her throat was sore and too dry to form the words correctly.

"Soi?" Kisuke spoke quietly as if he had woken from a long nightmare as well while Kukaku continued to stare at Soifon with unshed tears in her eyes, "You're awake…"

"Yeah." Soifon managed to croak back in confirmation. Kukaku couldn't hold herself back anymore even if she tried, the woman lunged out of her chair and practically dived on top of Soifon, the tears flowed from Kukaku's eyes as she embraced Soifon into the longest hug she had ever given.

"You're really awake." Kisuke repeated to himself, still not too sure if this was a dream or reality as the final strike of the clock outside signaled the start of a brand new year.


	11. Chapter 11

It had been madness.

In some ways it still felt like madness.

The difference being that Soifon was safe and out of the Pit. In fact she was in the safest place to be, a hospital with nurses and doctors to see to her every need. They swarmed in and out her room like bees and she was the flower.

Only Kisuke and Kukaku remained a somewhat constant presence in her room. It seems they had taken up a 'shift' visiting timetable between herself and…

Soifon cut that thought process off by looking at the pile of get well gifts that she had received in the days since the rescue.

"Do want to open any of them?" Kukaku asked after having spotted Soi's interest in the pile of assorted gifts. Soifon nodded and Kukaku pushed herself out of the chair with a warm smile and made her way over to the pile just out of Soi's reach. "Which one would you like?" Kukaku asked in hopes of Soifon speaking and had to hide her disappoint when Soi pointed towards the large Black Panther plush sat beside the table, Kukaku smirked at the doll in question as she passed it to Soifon. Kisuke and herself had sprinted around the town in order to find a large black cat plush for Soifon the day she first woke up and the panther was the best they could find on such short notice.

Kukaku watched Soifon pull the large panther doll under the covers beside her and took great comfort in knowing that it brought Soifon some kind of happiness. "I wish you'd try talking some more Bee."

Soifon twitched at hearing the familiar nickname that Yoru- Soifon cut that thought out again by examining the fur on the plush in close detail.

"Sorry…" Kukaku noticed the twitch and made a mental note not to use the nickname anytime soon. Yoruichi was a dangerous topic for Soifon, her responses were unpredictable and often proved too dangerous for the healing girl to handle. The happiness they felt at her being awake was broken by Soifon demanding to know why they hadn't let her die with Yoruichi once details of the rescue had been given to her. They tried to explain that Yoruichi wasn't officially dead, that she was in a coma and could pull through but Soifon was already lost to her rage and was trying to get out of the bed and lacked the energy to do so. Doctors ran in and sedated her while both Kisuke and Kukaku held Soifon down for them to do so.

When Soifon woke later on they presented her with the stuffed panther which was promptly thrown aside with demands to be left alone to die only this time Kisuke and Kukaku managed to talk her down into a calmer state to save Soi from being sedated again. Kisuke told Kuakaku when it was his turn to watch over Yoruichi on the second day that Soifon had tried to leave her room and nearly overpowered him until nurses arrived to help him. That evening Soifon tired to do the same, shouting out that it was her right to see her wife and managed to give one of the doctors a nose bleed in her attempt to leave the room. Kukaku began to fear this would be Soifon's routine for a long time at theis rate as she watched the nurses carry a sedated Soifon back to her bed for the fifth time but then again even Kisuke agreed that seeing an angry Soifon was preferred over seeing a dead one.

They thought they managed to make progress with Soi once the drugs wore off after her last attempt to leave the room by telling her once her health had reached a more stable condition they would go visit Yoruichi together. Soifon then went back to cursing at them both for taking too long to find them and that she wished they had just let her die with Yoruichi.

"_At least then I might have been able to find some sort of safety from that hellhole!" Soifon yelled and threw her pillows at them. Kukaku found she couldn't make eye contact with Soifon during her fits of rage, everything she shouted at them made sense and sounded like the better version if this was how Soifon really felt._

"_We're sorry Soifon." Kisuke begged once the last pillow had been thrown and only then did Kukaku notice that Kisuke was on all fours in front of the bed. "We're very sorry we didn't get to you both in time. I know we didn't reach you in time but you are alive and seeing you alive makes us happy and I know that if Yoruichi was awake she would be too. All I can ask of you now is that you try to hold onto that thought and use that to keep on going." Kisuke rose up onto his knees so that he could look into Soi's eyes, "Please focus on the fact that Yoruichi would want you alive and trust that Kukaku and I will make sure you never come into any danger again."_

"_How dare you use Yoruichi against me like that." Soifon's eyes filled with unshed tears, fully aware of Kisuke saying that to stop her from wanting to be dead since she knew Yoruichi would want her to be alive and well. _

"_I'm sorry for that too." Kisuke smiled weakly at Soi and looked towards Kukaku for strength and she gladly backed him up._

"_He's right. You can take your anger out on us all you like; I'll gladly sit with you and listen to all you want to say. We are here for you now and that's what counts." Soifon took in the sight of them both, it was obvious they were exhausted and she was too._

"_I'm tired…" Soifon didn't have the energy to work out her thoughts anymore._

"_You've been through…too much." Kukaku sat down on the bed beside her and Kisuke pushed himself to his feet and both of them were relieved to know that this time it looked like Soifon wasn't going to need any help from an injection to calm her down or send her to sleep._

"_I saw her die." Soifon mumbled and welcomed Kukaku's embrace as she slumped sideways into her body._

_There was a moment of silence between them as both Kukaku and Kisuke remembered the sight of Yoruichi lying dead in that cold dark place._

"_We brought her back." Kukaku managed to get out through a shaky jaw and held Soifon closer to her._


	12. Chapter 12

It was quiet

Soifon didn't mind this at all.

Noise unsettled her these days as she stood fully clothed by the window, a light dusting of snow covered the parking lot outside and a few kids were having a snowball fight close by.

Impatient Soifon gave herself the task of looking through all the gifts and well wishes she had received and was still receiving from family, co-workers and relatives who she had never heard from in years seemed to have found the time to get in touch with her all of a sudden. Kisuke and Kukaku were no longer her only visitors now that the doctors believed she was mentally and physically stable once again but this was not the reward she was impatient for at this moment.

She paced around the room nervously while her mind played tricks on her, maybe the reason things were taking so long was because something had gone wrong in the thirty minutes since the last update she had gotten on her wife's condition.

"Don't be stupid. Come on relax Soi." She coached herself into a calmer state and examined her appearance in the mirror. There was no sign of the bruise on her face where she had been struck; all physical evidence of what she had endured had healed. "My head's still messed up though." She murmured to herself, she was still shaken from the nightmare of being trapped in a cold, pitch black pit and it took a while for Kukaku to convince her that she was really awake and not about to see a hundred people or more cheer as a monster pinned her in place.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention and she leapt to feet, more fearful that her request would have been denied for some unknown reason and she'd be forced to wait another day or two.

"Please tell me I can see her now." Soifon blurted out before Kukaku or Kisuke could utter a syllable let alone a full word. They both looked more refreshed and alive, it was amazing what frequent showers and fresh clothing could do for someone's appearance when you get used to them looking like they've witnessed a war zone. Soifon mentally laughed at how they must think that of her too since she was the one _in _the war zone as it were.

"Yep, it's time." Kisuke smiled at her.

"Just remember what we said yeah? Be prepared for -" Kukaku tried to warn Soifon of her wife's condition.

"I know, you've told me many times now but I _need_ to see her." Soifon interrupted and the only reason she wasn't running out the door was because she had no idea which room partner was being kept in or what floor for that matter.

The three made small talk as they took the lift to another floor, Soifon didn't join in the conversation much though since every step along the corridors got her closer to where she should have been all these days since she woke up.

Only a door stood between Soifon and her destination.

Kisuke misread her hesitation as a change of mind and suggested that they come back another time if she wasn't ready when Soifon didn't move an inch.

"No - it's just…once I'm in there I won't want to leave." Soifon replied very aware of how fragile her own mind was.

"We know." Kisuke told her

"I'm serious. I'm not leaving that room by choice once I enter."

"The nurses have gotten pretty good at sedating you; I think they'll manage." Kukaku teased, "You ready?"

"Yes." Soifon nodded and pushed open the door fully prepared to take in whatever battered condition Yoruichi was in. What Soifon was not expecting was to see a completely empty bed. "Where is she?" she asked them both thinking that maybe they had got the wrong room somehow.

"Don't you remember?" His voice vibrated through her entire being, Soifon spun round on the spot and came face to face with His soulless black eyes once more. "I killed her!" He snarled furiously into her face.

Soifon woke to the sound of her screams and was already wrapped up in Kukaku's arms as the older woman did her best to reassure Soifon that she was awake and that it had just been another countless nightmare to add to the growing pile.

Kisuke burst through the doorway in a mad panic and Soi's screams of terror slowly turned into sobs and please for it to stop while Kukaku muttered empty promises that it would get better in time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm alive and believe it or not, I actually planned on this being the reveal of Yoruichi's condition but as I was writing out the sentence where Soi opens the door the line "Don't you remember? I KILLED HER!" popped into my head and I'm too big of a tease to not make it a dream sequence instead.  
>Mwhahahahaaaaaaas<p> 


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